Detective Christopher Ridley honored as hero at White Plains vigil

Jan. 26, 2013

Stanley Ridley, center, talks Friday about his son at a vigil marking his 2008 death. Mount Vernon Detective Christopher Ridley was off duty when he was shot by Westchester County police. / Carucha L. Meuse/ The Journal News

WHITE PLAINS — Mount Vernon Police Detective Christopher Ridley was remembered Friday as a hero and an inspiration during a candlelight vigil marking the fifth anniversary of his death on Court Street in White Plains.

“The spirit he embodied is in the hearts of many of our police officers,” Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Carl Bell said after the 20-minute vigil attended by about 30 people, including family members and friends. “His spirit and mind and heart were in the right place.”

The vigil was held in front of 85 Court St., now known as Christopher Ridley Plaza, where the 23-year-old officer was shot and killed by four Westchester County police officers as he tried to arrest a mugging suspect.

Ridley, off duty and in plain clothes, was wrestling with the suspect, who managed to grab his gun and fire one shot. Ridley got the weapon back as the fight continued, and was holding it as the four county officers converged on the scene. They opened fire when he stood up, ignoring orders to drop the weapon. The officers involved were later cleared of any wrongdoing. Ridley was promoted to detective posthumously.

His father, Stanley Ridley, thanked the crowd for “helping me get through this. I don’t want you to think that justice has been served, not yet.”

Damon Jones, head of the Westchester chapter of Blacks in Law Enforcement, said it was important for Mount Vernon police officers and other law enforcement officials to continue “to support the family and keep Chris’ name alive.” He and others said they would continue to push for better training on confrontation scenarios involving off-duty officers.

Also on hand were Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Kenneth Chamberlain Jr., the son of a White Plains man killed by city police who responded to his apartment when his emergency medical alert device accidentally went off.

In an interview Thursday, Stanley Ridley told The Journal News, “Time does not heal all wounds. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, because it goes on and on.”

“It hits me that I will never see grandchildren, I’ll never get to be an old man and talk to my grandchildren,” he said. “I’ll never get to talk to Chris again or to see him become chief of police or even a judge.”

After the vigil, many who were there headed to a benefit in New Rochelle to raise money for the Detective Christopher A. Ridley Foundation, which sponsors scholarship, mentoring, sports and recognition programs.